Awake on the Eve of History

It is going to be a restless night at my home tonight. For the love of my life, the night will be rough as he recovers from a nasty cold. For me, I will be kept awake with worries and hopes. This night will be different from others where I have laid awake thinking about the future and how to make it better for the world’s millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people. Tonight is different because I know the Supreme Court of the United States is about to hear arguments about my love, life, and the lives of my brothers and sisters in this country and around the world.

While the Supreme Court’s decision will have an immediate impact on gays and lesbians in this country and their right to marriage, the impact will be global. If we as a country of free citizens, solidify in our nation’s history a standard of equality for all once again, we will renew our position as the world’s leading example of freedom and equality for all of us, everywhere.

If our Supreme Court decides otherwise, that the love I share for my husband is less than equal, or worse, does not exist at all in the eyes of our government, we will be sending a strong message to those who wish to oppress, arrest, and murder, that the United States agrees that gays and lesbians are somehow less human than their neighbors.

It is not a stretch to see the global ramifications of this decision. When Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that marriage for gays and lesbians was a constitutional right for Mexicans, they cited our Supreme Court’s Loving vs Virginia as justification for their ruling. When former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the United Nations that gay rights are human rights, and when President Obama confirmed in public he believes gays and lesbians have a right to marriage, the world was paying attention.

Tonight I walked through the grocery store gathering some things to help my love feel better tonight: organic chicken noodle soup, vitamins, lemon, and ice cream. I did what any loving spouse would do. It was not a monumental errand. The trip would not be one that should normally be recorded in history. And yet, tonight, I looked my fellow Americans in the eyes to see if I could hear their thoughts. No doubt some of them were wondering the same thing as me, will I be an equal citizen by the end of this week?

Will my family be protected?

I don’t know how the court will rule, but I know these truths with all of my soul. I will love and be loved. I will care and be cared for. I will support and be supported. I am an American gay man committed for life to another in sickness and in health. We deserve equality now and forever.